Rugby in Rome, Stadio Olimpico & Stadio Flaminio | Italy Heaven Sunday 5th February - Italy vs Wales 3.00pm (2pm GMT) Saturday 11th February - Italy vs Ireland 3.25pm (2.25pm GMT) Saturday 11th March - Italy vs France 2.30pm (1.30pm GMT) Along the way you'll notice that enterprising Italians set up temporary bars near the stadium to cater for their visitors' baffling thirst. Although British-style public drinking is really not socially acceptable in Italy, you may find a certain degree of tolerance towards polite visiting rugby fans (kilted Scots go down particularly well in Rome, especially if they bring bagpipes). Visitors should always bear in mind that they're guests in Italy, and act accordingly. Of course this doesn't just go for rugby fans. If you're in Rome for a sporting weekend, it's worth considering joining many of your fellow fans and coming to a soccer game at the Stadio Olimpico for an extra dose of passion.

On rugby weekends there are usually clusters of overseas fans at Lazio or Roma matches, warmly welcomed by the rest of the stadium (as mentioned before, bagpipes are exceptionally popular and I've seen the whole Olimpico applaud an enterprising and musical bunch of Scottish rugby enthusiasts). Stadio Olimpico directions The Stadio Olimpico is a short distance to the north of central Rome, by the Tiber river. The nearest Metro station is Flaminio (Linea A). To reach the stadium by public transport, the best method is to catch tram number 2 at Piazzale Flaminio. This is outside Flaminio station, and very close to Piazza del Popolo, which you may have visited while sightseeing. From Piazza del Popolo, walk through the large stone gateway and cross the wide road ahead. Trams depart from the beginning of Via Flaminia, opposite. The trams are frequent, and it is only a short journey until your destination, the terminus at Piazza Mancini. From the tram terminus, follow the crowds of sports fans through a small park to the Lungotevere, the road bordering the Tiber river. Cross the road and the bridge.

The stadium lies straight ahead along a wide avenue. Catch the tram in the same piazza to return to central Rome after the match. Stadio Flaminio directions Not far from the larger Stadio Olimpico, the Flaminio stadium is easily reached from the centre of Rome. The nearest Metro station is Flaminio (Linea A). From here just head straight up the Via Flaminia. After about twenty minutes the stadium, with its distinctive curving sides, is visible on the right. If you'd rather not walk, take tram number two from Flaminio, opposite the gateway leading into Piazza del Popolo. The tram stops by the stadium. Hotels for the rugby in Rome Since the Stadio Flaminio is close to the centre of Rome, and the Olimpico is not much further away, there is no real need to stay near either stadium. However, if you would like the convenience of a hotel within a short walk or tram ride of the match venue, you could consider the Hotel Villa Glori , a decent four-star hotel literally minutes away from the Stadio Flaminio (walk or catch the tram to the Olimpico).

A convenient B&B option is the Maison Flaminio , which is only a short walk from the Stadio Olimpico. A practical hotel base for visiting rugby fans would be the Piazza del Popolo area of the centre. This is an attractive location, convenient for the shops along Via del Corso and a walk, bus or Metro ride from Rome's main attractions. To reach the Stadio Flaminio, you can simply walk or catch a tram along the Via Flaminia. For the Olimpico, take the tram. In this area, you could try the stylish Casa Montani , a small boutique B&B in Piazzale Flaminio, River Palace Hotel at the start of Via Flaminia or Hotel Manfredi , further away, between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps. The Rugby Ground Guide - Stadio Olimpico (Italy) The Rugby Ground Guide Italy - Stadio Olimpico Rugby has been played in Italy for over 100 years, and the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) was formed in 1928.

Although football, basketball and cycling make most of the headlines in the country, rugby union has a strong following, particularly in the North where the majority of clubs are based, including Treviso and Zebre who compete in the RaboDirect Pro12. The Azzurri have improved both on and off the pitch since joining the Six Nations, defeating several of the more established sides. Their pride in the shirt and determination to succeed has however earned the affection of the locals, who have been been attending in ever increasing numbers, leading to the side switching from their original home at the Stadio Flaminio to the larger Stadio Olimpico in 2012. Italy have competed at all six Rugby World Cups, without ever making it past the group stage. The FIR have ambitions to host the tournament though, having made unsuccessful bids for the 2015 (England) and 2019 (Japan) tournaments. If they do get the chance to host a World Cup, it will be a great opportunity to further the growth of the sport throughout the nation, with much of the infrastructure already in place.

Ground Information Back to Top ^ Opened in 1928, the Stadio Olimpico has a capacity of just over 70,000. The stadium has undergone many redevelopments over the years (most recently in 2007) and today boasts smart modern facilities. It is located around 4km North of the City within the Foro Italico sports complex. The stadium's stands along the touchlines are the Monte Mario and Tribuna Tevere, and as expected are where the more expensive tickets are located due to their proximity to the pitch. Behind the posts are the Curva Nord and Curva Sud, where the bends of the running track mean that supporters are far from the pitch, although tickets are priced to reflect this. The Curva Sud is is the larger of the two, whilst three corners of the ground are known as the Distinti. As it also acts as an athletics stadium, there is unfortunately a large running track around the pitch that separates supporters from the action a little. Despite the distance from the pitch for some supporters, the atmosphere in the stadium can be fantastic - particularly if the home side are performing well.

View from the Curva before a snowy Six Nations match Getting There Back to Top ^ By Train (to Rome) The majority of inter-city trains arrive at Termini station to the East of the City Centre. The station is a main hub of the Italian rail network, with services operating to Florence, Naples and Pisa amongst others. International rail services also operate to destinations including Paris, Munich, Geneva and Vienna. Both of the city's metro lines stop at Termini also. RailEurope offers tickets and timetable information. By Train (to the Ground) The stadium is served by Rome's Tramline 2, with the Mancini stop located nearby. Connections to the tramline can be made from metro stop Flaminio Piazza Popolo. You can purchase single (Biglietto) or unlimited day tickets (Biglietto Giornaliero) from Tabacchi shops or metro stations. Make sure to validate your ticket in the yellow machines before boarding. By Bus The #32 bus from metro stop Ottaviano will take you to Stadio Tennis, a short walk from the stadium. By Air Rome Fiumicino Fiumicino is the principal airport serving the city, and the largest airport in Italy.

Many of the world's flag carriers (including Aer Lingus, British Airways, Air France and Alitalia) have a presence at the airport, as do budget carriers Easyjet, Jet2.com and Valencia. Scheduled services operate to Birmingham, Bordeaux, Bristol, Dublin, Leeds/Bradford, London (Gatwick, Heathrow and Luton), Lyon, Manchester, Paris (CDG and Orly) and Toulouse amongst others. Fiumicino is around 30km from the city, and getting into town is easy - regular express trains (known as the Leonardo Express) take 35 minutes to Termini station, where the metro can take you on to your final destination. As it's primarily a tourist train, the tickets are quite expensive so if you want to save your pennies consider taking the Metropolitan train to Tiburtina or Ostiense station where you can connect to Metro Line B. Note that for both services you need to get your ticket validated in the yellow machines prior to boarding. Alternatively, Terravision and Sitbus buses take a little longer (around an hour to Termini station) but are the cheapest way to travel between the airport and City.

Ciampino Airport Ciampino is the Roman base for budget airlines Ryanair and Wizzair. Scheduled flights operate to Dublin, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow (Prestwick), London (Stansted), Manchester and Paris (Beauvais). Unlike the majority of airports of this kind, Ciampino is actually within easy reach of the city centre. Either take a direct bus to Termini station ( Terravision or Sitbus ) or take a local bus to Anagina station to connect to Metro Line A. Drinking Back to Top ^ In The Ground Alcohol is widely available both inside and outside of the stadium, with beer tents set up and plenty of bars within the ground itself. Before/After the Game As rugby is not the sport of the masses in Italy (and especially not in Rome), you probably need to plan ahead to find somewhere showing televised rugby. Scottish pub The Highlander on Vicolo di San Biagio (close to Piazza del Popolo) is a safe bet, offering a guarantee to show all 6 Nations matches.

As ever the safe bet for watching rugby when abroad, Irish pub The Abbey Theatre on Via del Governo Vecchio (just off Piazza Navona) will also show all 6 Nations matches and also offers free return travel to the stadium on certain matchdays - check their website in advance for details. View from the Distini The best food is likely to be found in town, but there are plenty of food stands just outside the stadium to attract the passing flow of supporters before and after the game. Sleeping Back to Top ^ There are a wide range of accommodation options in Rome befitting one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. There are a few options in the area around the stadium, including the Hotel Villa Glori and Villa Riccio . The majority of fans will however opt to stay closer to the city centre and travel out to the stadium. Make a Trip of It Italy Azzurri rugby team tickets, stadium. Italian rugby, Stadio Flaminio and 6 nations.

Rugby in Rome - Rugby Italy and the Stadio Flaminio Rugby Italy and the Azzurri - 6 nations, World Cup and rugby in Italy Italy now play in the 6 Nations international rugby tournament and this has given the Italy rugby team the experience against team including France, England and Ireland and helped Italy to get to World Cup level. Although behind football and basketball in terms of popularity in Italian sports, rugby has still increased in popularity in recent years and continues to build. Italy play their home games at the Stadio Flaminio in Roma and tickets are normally purchasable via TicketOne or through the official Italian Rugby Federation website. Tickets: Ticketone for Italy rugby tickets . Italy Homes Games: Stadio Flaminio, Roma. Official website of the Italian Rugby Federation: federugby.it 6 Nations rugby official site: rbs6nations.com back to the main Sports menu . Further travel ideas: For getting around the Italian capital, Rome car hire is perhaps your easiest option, especially if your wife plans to do lots of Shopping in Italy in the sales.

Six Nations 2012: Italy v Scotland live - Telegraph Six Nations Six Nations 2012: Italy v Scotland live Follow minute-by-minute commentary of the Six Nations game between Italy and Scotland at the Stadio Flaminio, Rome on Saturday Mar 17 2012, kick-off 12:30 GMT. Crunch: Mirco Bergamasco is tackled by Scotland's rush defence Photo: AFP By Nick Pearce 1:54PM GMT 17 Mar 2012 Email nick.pearce@telegraph.co.uk to get involved... Full-time: Italy 13 - Scotland 6 14.26: Right, it's time for you to all switch over to Giles Mole's live build-up and commentary of Wales v France . Because frankly there's nothing left to see in Rome. Go.... And make sure you join me again later for England v Ireland. Until then.

14.23: Here's a tweet-based stat for Italian fans: &amp;lt;noframe&amp;gt;Twitter: Opta Sports - 6 - Italy have won 6 of their 8 home games against Scotland, only failing to score a try in one of these matches. Azzurri.&amp;lt;/noframe&amp;gt; 14.22: I make that seven defeats in a row for Scotland now. Going to be tough for Robinson, isn't it? 14.19: Sky's Graham Simmons famously grilled Andy Robinson to within an inch of his life after England lost to Argentina at the end of his ill-fated tenure. Might we be about to see a similar interview? 80 min: Rolland penalises Scotland again! It's knocked off the park and Italy win! Wooden spoon for Scotland! 79 min: Scotland have the ball just outside the Italian 22 but the door is slammed shut on Evans. It's recycled but at the next breakdown Scotland are penalised for holding on and the result is settled. 77 min: DROP-GOAL!

Italy 13 - Scotland 6 (Burton) Lovely break from Toniolatti gets Burton to within drop-goal range and this time he makes no mistake to leave Scotland needing more than a converted try to win. 76 min: Odd. Castrogiovanni named man of the match. 75 min: Bad to worse for Scotland as they're pinged for holding on. Game is slipping through their fingers now. 74 min: It's a poor line-out from Scotland. Again. Vosawi claims it at the back and Italy drop back down in to first gear as they look to run the clock down. 73 min: After two minutes of nonsense at the scrum Rolland's patience finally snaps and the Italian front row is pinged. Jackson kicks the ball into the Italian 22 to set up their final seige on the Italian line. 72 min: Scotland seem to be eternally stuck in their own half. A bit of territory would not go amiss now. They have a scrum just ahead of their 10-metre line. 70 min: Jackson and Vernon are on for Scotland as we enter the final 10 minutes.

69 min: Parisse wins a line-out on halfway and Italy slow things right down. First a rolling maul then a painfully slow drive. The ball is eventually dished up to Burton but his kick is a shocker - straight out on the full. 68 min: Scotland knock the penalty into the corner but the throw from Ford is terrible and Canale clears the ball upfield. Scotland had the knife on Italy's throat but in a second all the pressure is back on them. 66 min: YELLOW CARD! Zani sent to the bin just as Jim Hamilton returns. Scotland won that sin-bin period 3-0 and now you have to say that the momentum is with them. 65 min: Rennie turned over as a promising Scotland attack got going. Now Italy have the ball in the Scottish half. Venditti is on the shoulder of Gori to claim his offload, but it's knocked on and another error. 64 min: Very unlucky for Scotland as a beautiful-looking kick from Laidlaw rolls just over the try-line. Masi dots down and Italy have a drop-out.

62 min: Italy get a nice rolling maul going but it's spoiled, nay ruined, by a sloppy knock-on at the back. 61 min: PENALTY! Italy 10 - Scotland 6 (Laidlaw) Vital kick from the Edinburgh man. Scotland still in this. 60 min: Barbieri pulls down Kellock at the line-out and is apporpriately punished with a penalty. But shouldn't that also be a yellow card? 59 min: Italy penalised at the scrum for binding incorrectly. Castrogiovanni, who if the television graphics are accurate has conceded four penalties today, looks annoyed. 57 min: Changes all round for Italy. D'Apice on for Ongaro, who we may also have seen the last of. Vosawi also on. 56 min: YELLOW CARD! Jim Hamilton sent to the bin for pulling an Italian maul down. "Very harsh," says former Scotland scrum-half Andy Nicol on commentary. Things are looking very bleak indeed for Scotland now. It's difficult to win in Rome but it's difficult to win with 14 men for 20 minutes.

55 min: Mexican wave breaks out at the Stadio Olimpico, which either means the fans are so enthralled they've broken out in a spontaneous show of appreciation. Or....they're bored witless. 52 min: Scotland clear their lines as Lo Cicero, possibly on his last appearance, is replaced by Cittadini. 51 min: Scotland scrum in trouble and Italy seize upon the loose ball! But Rolland demands its re-set. Pivotal moment in the game, this. An Italian score now would be lights out, surely? 50 min: Italy steal the line-out! Alarm bells ringing! Burton's through! No.... pulled back for a debatable knock-on. Nick de Luca returns to get Scotland back up to 15 men. 49 min: Burton may stand a little deep but he's just put in the kick of the match. End over end number that bounces into the 22. Big defensive line-out for the Scots now as Euan Murray comes on to the field. 48 min: Italy starting to play with some confidence now, which is bad news for Scotland, who are still down to 14 men.

46 min: Laidlaw's strike is nice enough, but wide of the posts, leaving the deficit at seven points. Meanwhile, Burton's play has attracted some criticism from former England prop, yes prop, Duncan Bell: &amp;lt;noframe&amp;gt;Twitter: Duncan Bell - Why the hell is Burton so deep. Painful. &amp;lt;a href="" target="_blank"&amp;gt;#6nations&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/noframe&amp;gt; 45 min: Scotland win a penalty on the Italian 22 almost immediately. Infuriating for Brunel but a welcome bonus for Robbo. Laidlaw must pop this over for the Scots to stay competitive. 43 min: TRY! Italy 10 - Scotland 3 (Venditti + Burton con) Italy's extra man makes the difference as Venditti cuts a juicy line to get away from Laidlaw before stepping last man Hogg. Fine finish! Burton adds the extras. 42 min: Nice run from Parisse gets Italy to within a few metres of the 22.

Burton, with that charged drop-goal attempt still fresh in his mind, decides to run it instead and Italy continue to make progress. 41 min: Italy go long with the kick-off. Hogg claims it then sends the ball down town. Line-out to Italy on the Scottish 10-metre line. 13.31: Teams coming back out again. Let's give this a game a second chance and start with a clean slate. OK? 13.27: My colleague Brendan Gallagher sums up: You wouldn't need to know how the 6N table stands to guess Italy and Scotland are bottom. Scrappy. At least its a nice sunny day in Rome. Bugger all rugby. 13.23: Here's a tweet-based stat from Infostrada: &amp;lt;noframe&amp;gt;Twitter: Infostrada Rugby - Six points equal record for lowest scoring &amp;lt;a href="" target="_blank"&amp;gt;#rbs6nations&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; first halves.

Also happened in 5 previous &amp;lt;a href="" target="_blank"&amp;gt;#6N&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; matches, 3 of them involving Scotland&amp;lt;/noframe&amp;gt; 13.22: Jeremy Guscott and Shane Williams, two of the most imaginative rugby minds of the modern era, look genuinely depressed having watched that half. Poor souls. 40+1 min: Laidlaw kicks the ball to mercifully bring up half-time. 40 min: Another miss from Bergamasco. He's now one from three, which makes him one of Scotland's most valuable player. 38 min: YELLOW CARD! Nick de Luca sent to the bin after he illegally kicked the ball out of Gori's grasp at a ruck. 37 min: Tasty little grubber from Canale and Scotland have a defensive line-out five metres shy of their line. Solid throw from Ford and Rennie claims it with authority. Ball cleared from Hogg beyond the 22 and you have to say Scotland handled that potentially trick situation very well. 36 min: PENALTY! Italy 3 - Scotland 3 (Laidlaw) Boom!

Monster kick from Laidlaw and we're all square. 35 min: Now then! Greg Laidlaw is attempting a penalty from about 47 metres out. Testing his range but we will certainly be urging him on as this game badly needs some more points. 34 min: A tweet that kind of sums it all up: &amp;lt;noframe&amp;gt;Twitter: Nick Heath - Is there an under 10s match going on anywhere near Feltham that I can watch and report on instead of this? Awful skills on show in Rome.&amp;lt;/noframe&amp;gt; 33 min: Error after error after error. No, I'm not talking about my copy. It's this dreadful game of rugby. 31 min: Solid enough scrum from Scotland and Blair has the time to box-kick the ball out to the 22-metre line. 30 min: Ongaro goes long with the throw and Italy get a rather effective looking rolling maul going. Parisse has it and Italy are within five metres... Alarm bells ringing in the Scottish defence but they're saved by sloppy knock-on at the base from Italy.

29 min: Another kickable penalty won by Italy, and Rolland unleashes the dreaded double-whistle, which means a ticking off, or even a yellow card, could be forthcoming. No cards in the end and Burton nudges the ball midway into the Scotland 22. 27 min: Italy five metres out, making real gains through their forwards, but Burton ruins it all by attempting an optimistic snap drop-goal that's easily charged. Why, Kris, why? 26 min: Now then! Italy attacking the short-side and getting a bit of joy. Their big ball carriers are leading the charge and they're now well into the Scottish 22. 24 min: Line-out to Italy on the Scottish 10-metre line. This game is yet to, ahem, "explode into life". We live in hope. 23 min: Poor attempt at goal from Bergamasco so the scores stay the same. Nasty hook that sent the ball wide to the left. 21 min: Denton breaks away from the scrum and goes blind on his own. He looks pretty isolated and so it proves as he's tackled and subsequently pinged for holding on.

20 min: For those of you without pictures here's a shot of Marco Bortolami in the sunshine at a line-out: 19 min: Ford overcooks his throw so much that even the giant Gray can't claim it. Then to compound their misery, Scotland give away a penalty. Will update you on the status of Andy Robinson's scalp as soon as I hear anything. 18 min: Peep! Scotland win a penalty on halfway after Lo Cicero broke his bind at the scrum. It's out of Laidlaw's range for goal so he prods it in to the 22. What do Scotland have in attack? 16 min: Burton feeds Canale but he grubbers the ball away and it's easily mopped up by the defence. Blair box-kicks towards Burton in the Italian half. Masi runs on his shoulder and trucks the ball back towards the Scotland half. Then the ball is lost in contact by Italy, it's hacked ahead! The break-out is on! No.... knocked on by Morrison. We'll go back for an Italian scrum. 15 min: Andy Robinson identified Scotland's error count as their Achilles heel, yet they're playing a risky offloading game.

Questionable logic, one could argue. Anyway, their latest knock-on, their fourth error of the match incidentally, has given Italy a nice attacking scrum in the Scottish half. 14 min: Scotland's attack comes to an end when the ball is pilfered at the ruck. 13 min: The ghost of Dan Parks has clearly been buried. Scotland are trying to run it from everywhere. The thing is, though, what's really needed right now is a lovely little Parks 40-metre touchfinder. 11 min: Scotland so eager to get back into the game that they run in front of the kicker at the restart. Schoolboy error results in a scrum on halfway to Italy. 10 min: PENALTY! Italy 3 - Scotland 0 (Bergamasco) Straight in front and the wing makes no mistake. 9 min: Italy have a penalty after a Scottish paw tried to palm the ball back from the ruck. All in all that's probably a good result for Scotland given the pressure Italy were exerting. 8 min: Masi away down the left wing! Great break! De Luca brings him down but Italy have their tales up just outside the 22. "ITALIA!

ITALIA!" screams the crowd. 7 min: Scotland have 28kg on Italy in the pack but the hosts just got an almighty shove going in the scrum. The ball is released to Burton and he tries to get his backs going. It's all a bit telegraphed and slow though and the Scotland defence holds up well. 6 min: Penalty reversed! Rolland intervenes after the Italian pack got involved in some scrapping after that maul. Let-off for the Scots and the match remains scoreless. 5 min: Burton kicks the ball into the Scottish 22 and the visitors will have to defend the Italian line-out and inevitable rolling maul. They don't. And Italy win a penalty well within kicking range. 4 min: The Italian front-row goes early at the scrum so Scotland have a free-kick on the halfway line. They look to keep the ball in hand but the Italian defence copes fairly well with the pedestrian attack. Then Rennie is pinged for joining the ruck at the side. 3 min: Ongaro down injured but ref Alain Rolland is having none of it, basically telling the Italian hooker to man up.

2 min: Scotland win the first line-out and spread the ball wide to De Luca. It's all very lateral and predictable though and he's easily tackled. Luckily for Scotland Canale seizes on the loose ball and is bundled into touch giving Scotland the line-out. 1 min: Italy take the kick-off and the ball is box-kicked towards the Scots. Denton runs it back with interest. The ball is recycled but Laidlaw kicks it straight down Masi's throat and an easy mark is made. 12.31: We are good to go...... 12.29: Italy.... Absolutely fantastic as ever. Upbeat, colourful, passionate and fun. You can't help but sing along and smile. Si! 5/5 12.28: Scotland up first...Their full-blooded warm-up, naturally pale skin and the bright sunshine at the ground have left the side looking a bit like a hungover stag group awaking from a one-hour slumber to hit the go-karting track. The vocals were fine, but nothing to get inspired about. 2/5. 12.26: The players are on the pitch and we're ready for anthem watch.

12.25: More Andy Robinson just before kick-off: It's going to be a huge game. This Italian side is very physical and defends its own territory with pride and ferocity. We've got to defend very well today and stop their driving maul and scrum. The only way we can do that is by going at them. Secondly, Italy can play with the ball in hand so we've got to knock them over and not concede any cheap scores. But we've got to focus on what we're going to do and put all the parts together for 80 minutes. We need a good start with some good field position and then get the scoreboard ticking over. The players have a full 80 minutes inside them.

12.18: Some Scottish fans clash with gladiators: 12.15: Another stat from Infostrada worth checking out: &amp;lt;noframe&amp;gt;Twitter: Infostrada Rugby - Italy's pack v Scotland tomorrow has 513 international caps, making it the most experienced Test match forward unit ever (via &amp;lt;a href="" target="_blank"&amp;gt;@irbmedia&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;)&amp;lt;/noframe&amp;gt; 12.12: Thom Evans, chiselled Kelly Brook slayer and former Scotland wing, has come up with a five-point plan to save Scottish rugby. Here's an abridged version: 1. Scotland need to play the territory game more smartly. 2. Master the restart. I've been surprised by how ineffective Scotland have been in that area this season 3. They must learn to relax. Pressure seems to have been getting to players. 4. Put trust in young players. In Scotland we've traditionally been slow to give youth a chance. 5. Get the numbers up. Scotland has the smallest player base of all the major nations.

12.06: Do you remember the last time these two played in Rome? Course you do. But here's a reminder in text and video form (NB: Scotland fans look away, again): 2010: Italy 16 Scotland 12 The Scots had played brilliantly in defeat against Wales a fortnight earlier, but this much tamer display was made worse by a stream of mistakes. Although they dominated possession and territory, Scotland’s age-old finishing problems were critical again and they relied on the boot of Dan Parks for all their points. The only flash of genius in the game came from Italy centre Gonzalo Canale, whose sizzling 66th-minute break led to the winning try by Pablo Canavosio. 12.04: Here's a stat from our friends at Infostrada.

Doesn't really make great reading for Italy or Scotland fans, but it's intriguing nonetheless: &amp;lt;noframe&amp;gt;Twitter: Infostrada Rugby - Italy and Scotland are the only teams to lose by more than a converted try in this season's &amp;lt;a href="" target="_blank"&amp;gt;#rbs6nations&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. Italy 3 times and Scotland twice&amp;lt;/noframe&amp;gt; 12.02: After four rounds Scotland have shown some glimpses of quality and on another day they could have won a few of the games they narrowly lost in this competition. For coach Andy Robinson, who has been left pulling at what few hairs he last left on too many occasions this season, the error count is killing Scotland's hopes: It's all there for us. The players have got the ability. They've shown in parts a lot of good things that they've done. It's about delivering on the day. When you look at the reason why we've lost it's down to the individual errors we've made. If we stop making those individual errors we'll win the game.

12.00: Here's a reminder of today's teams: Italy: A Masi (Aironi); G Venditti (Aironi), T Benvenuti (Treviso), G Canale (Clermont Auvergne), M Bergamasco (Racing Metro); K Burton (Treviso), E Gori (Treviso); A Lo Cicero (Racing Metro), L Ghiraldini (Treviso), M Castrogiovanni (Leicester), Q Geldenhuys (Aironi), M Bortolami (Aironi), A Zanni (Treviso), R Barbieri (Treviso), S Parisse (Stade Francais, capt). Replacements: T D'Apice (Aironi), L Cittadini (Treviso), J Furno (Aironi), S Favaro (Aironi), M Vosawai (Treviso), T Botes (Treviso), G Toniolatti (Aironi).

Scotland: S Hogg (Glasgow); M Evans (Castres), N De Luca (Edinburgh), G Morrison (Glasgow), S Lamont (Scarlets); G Laidlaw (Edinburgh), M Blair (Edinburgh); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh, capt), G Cross (Edinburgh), R Gray (Glasgow), J Hamilton (Gloucester), J Barclay (Glasgow), R Rennie (Edinburgh), D Denton (Edinburgh). Replacements: S Lawson (Gloucester), E Murray (Newcastle), A Kellock (Glasgow), R Vernon (Sale Sharks), C Cusiter (Glasgow), R Jackson (Glasgow), J Cuthbert (Bath). Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland). 11.58: Good afternoon and thanks for joining me for the annual Italy v Scotland wooden spoon play-off. Yes, for the second year running we have Scotland and Italy facing each other in a decider for the tournament's least desirable prize.

Italy coach Jacques Brunel appears to have been given carte blanche by his bosses to build a team in time for the next World Cup, but for his Scotland counterpart Andy Robinson a win today is absolutely essential. Robinson has a contract until 2015 but he is extremely short on wins, in fact if my mathematics is correct he has lost six on the bounce. Questions will be asked if Robinson has an ugly-looking wooden spoon in his hand luggage on arrival back to Edinburgh International. Italy national rugby union team | Rugby Union | Fandom powered by Wikia Italy national rugby union team 242pages on Azzurri (the Blues), The Gladiators of Rome Ground For the rugby sevens side, see Italian national rugby union team (sevens) The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union . The team are also known as the Azzurri (Blues) and "The Gladiators of Rome". Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and today are considered one of the best rugby nations in Europe and compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England , France , Ireland , Scotland and Wales .

Italy really came to prominence following 2000 when they became a part of the Five Nations , making it the Six Nations. Italy have also competed at every Rugby World Cup since the first tournament in 1987 . Their best result thus far has been in 2003 where they managed two wins during the pool stages. Italy achieved their best result thus far in the Six Nations in the 2007 competition , with wins over Scotland and Wales. Italy are grouped in Pool C of the 2007 Rugby World Cup , with Scotland, the All Blacks , Romania and Portugal . Their current head coach is Nick Mallett . Contents Edit Forms of football involving both hands and feet have long been played in Italy from Roman times to the medieval era. It is normally said that Rugby union was first introduced into Italy by French students at Milan University in 1911 but it has been established that British communities brought rugby to Genoa between 1890 and 1895. It remains stronger in the North of Italy than elsewhere. The first documented rugby union match played in Italy was a demonstration game played in 1910 in Turin between Racing Club París and Servette of Geneva.

The society that organised the game didn't have a long life and dissolved after this first game but the game became known in Milan. The first match played by an Italian team was a year later US Milanese against Voiron of France. On July 25 of the same year the "Propaganda Committee" was formed which in 1928 became the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR). There was a further game in 1928 when Ambrosiana Milano beat R.C.T. Bucharest 15-3. The first Italian championship , won by Ambrosiana Milano, took place in 1929, with 6 of the 16 teams that existed in Italy. In May of the same year Italy played their first international losing 9-0 against Spain in Barcelona. After the formation of FIRA in 1934, which brought together the national teams of Italy, France, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Romania and Germany rugby union spreads through Italy, especially the cities of Milan, Rome, Turin, Bologna, Padua, Naples, Genoa, Brescia, Treviso, Rovigo and Parma.

France was the first of the Championship countries to play Italy at senior level and the inaugural match took place in 1937, France winning 43-5. Post 1945 Edit World War Two interrupted Italian rugby union. After World War Two, there was a desire to return to normal and Italian rugby union entered a new dimension thanks to the help of Allied troops in Italy. But Italy followed the French model until the 70s. Very soon Veneto ( Rovigo , Padua and Treviso ) came to assume a prominent position in the Italian rugby union scene earning the name "Republic of the Italian rugby union". Parma and L'Aquila were also main centres for rugby union. In the 70s and 80s rugby union made enormous progress thanks to great foreign players (John Kirwan, Botha, Campese, Lynagh) and coaches (Saby, Bish, Greenwood, Nelie Smith) in the Italian championship . Even foreign coaches were and continue to be chosen for the national team, like Bertrande Fourcade and Georges Costes.

In 1973 the national team went on a tour of South Africa, coached by ex-Springbok prop Amos Du Ploony. Tours of England and Scotland followed, even games against Australia and New Zealand, the masters of their day. Since 1980 Italy has been chasing the dream of playing in the 5 Nations. Consistently good results against nations that now play in the European Nations Cup (Romania, Spain, Georgia etc), and the occasional win against the major nations such as France, Scotland, Wales or Ireland meant that they were often talked about as strong candidates. The Azzurri took part in the first ever Rugby World Cup match against New Zealand on 22 May 1987. The match proved a one sided affair with New Zealand convincing 70-6 winners against a young Italian side. John Kirwan, later to become the Italian national coach, scored one of the tournament’s greatest ever tries for the All Blacks . Italy did, however, manage to beat Fiji and finished third in their pool; failing to make the finals. At the 1991 World Cup, Italy were grouped in a tough pool with the likes of England and the All Blacks.

They lost both of these games but beat the USA. At 1995 World Cup in South Africa, Italy came close to beating England; losing 20-27 but managed to beat Argentina. They finished third in their pool again below England and Western Samoa, but above Argentina The Italians then built a very formidable side in the 1990s and recorded a lot of victories over Five nations opposition. In 1996, a deal between British Sky Broadcasting and the Rugby Football Union meant that England home games were exclusively shown on Sky. England were threatened with being expelled from the five nations to be replaced by Italy. This threat was never carried out as a deal was worked out. Italy recorded two consecutive victories over Ireland in 1997 on January 4 37-29 at Lansdowne Road and on December 20 37-22 in Bologna . On March 22, 1997 they recorded their first and so far only win over France 40-32 (in Grenoble ).

In January 1998 Scotland were the victims with Italy winning 25-21 (in Treviso ); in the same year in the Rugby World Cup Qualifiers, they lost 23-15 against England at Huddersfield, but they argued for a try by Alessandro Troncon disallowed by the referee. At the 1999 World Cup, Italy were drawn with New Zealand for the third time and lost again. They didn't win a single pool match and went home before the knock-out stage. Six Nations File:Federazione Italiana Rugby.jpg Italy finally joined the Six Nations Championship in 2000 but their admission coincided with the departure of some of their best players. Nevertheless they won their opening game against the reigning champions Scotland 34-20. Since then they have struggled to compete against the other nations and their participation was called into question, however they answered their critics by playing a more disciplined game. The 2001 and 2002 tournaments were particularly disappointing as they did not win a single game. Coach Brad Johnstone was sacked in 2002 after an alleged show of 'player power'. John Kirwan was then appointed coach.

Italy won two pool games at the 2003 World Cup, defeating both Canada and Tonga, but lost to the All Blacks and Wales. They managed to get their second win in 2003 30-22 against Wales and Italy avoided the wooden spoon. They followed up by winning two games at the World Cup, another first, though the tournament was ultimately disappointing as the Welsh gained revenge with a 27-15 success that meant that Italy were the only Six Nations country not to advance to the knock-out stage. Their third win came against Scotland in 2004. With many of their top players also involved in European club competition, the overall standard of play is improving constantly but it is likely to be a long time before Italy win their first Six Nations Championship . More and more Italians are coming to watch rugby union games and whereas before most of the fans at the Stadio Flaminio were away fans, now Italy has a good home crowd. One cause for optimism in Italian rugby is that their star players tend to be young and are likely to improve with time. Moreover, the budget of F.I.R. has grown impressively: currently €21 million is available.

Italy, along with other nations, had made good use of IRB rules which allowed them to select foreign born players if they had Italian ancestry or had lived in Italy for a qualifying period of 3 years. From 2004 they announced that they would only pick three such 'non-Italians' per team in order to develop their own domestic players. In 2005 Italy finished bottom of the table again and failed to win a single game. Kirwan was sacked and replaced with Pierre Berbizier . Italy then went on a tour of Argentina where they surprised many by beating the Pumas 30-29 and drawing the series 1-1 (the only 2005 victory of a northern hemisphere team visiting a southern hemisphere team). However the Pumas had their revenge when they visited Genoa and beat Italy 39-22. In the 2006 Six Nations Championship the Italian team performed strongly against every team, leading against both England and France in the first half, but lost their first three games.

They did, however, get a creditable 18-18 draw away to Wales, their first ever away point in the tournament, and were unlucky not to draw with Scotland in Rome in the final game, losing 10-13 courtesy of a late Scottish penalty. 2007 File:Italian kickoff.jpg In the 2007 Six Nations Championship, Italy started poorly, losing to France 3-39, and planned to play against a resurgent England at Twickenham. However, Italy's performance improved considerably, holding England to a hollow victory of 20-7, which included a debatable try. Italy's Alessandro Troncon also became man of the match. Italy followed on with a stunning start to their match at Murrayfield against Scotland, with Mauro Bergamasco scoring a try off a charged-down kick in the first minute, and Andrea Scanavacca and Kaine Robertson scoring intercept tries within the next five minutes; Scotland's shocking start gifted Italy a 21-0 lead after 7 minutes. The Azzurri went on to a 37-17 victory, their first ever away win in the Six Nations. Italy's next match was against Wales.

In a close match, Italy's Mauro Bergamasco touched a try down in the last two minutes to give a winning score of 23-20, their second victory over Wales, first consecutive victory in the Six Nations and their highest position ever in the Six Nations. However the match was not without controversy, as a last minute penalty over the line by Wales was later deemed out of time by Chris White. Wales were told by White there was "10 seconds" remaining but as Wales kicked to touch, under the instruction of the TMO, White blew the whistle for full time. The domestic interest in rugby reached new heights with Italy's new success front page media coverage and the sport being held up as a model of fair play. [1] Media and public interest in the national team was very high during the sides new found success. [1] Despite losing their last game to Ireland, the headline on page one of the national sport newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport read "To lose like this is beautiful," and 10,000 fans later greeted the national team at Rome's Piazza del Popolo .

[1] At the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, Italy were in pool C, which also included New Zealand, Portugal, Romania and Scotland. Italy lost their opening game against the All Blacks, and then won against Romania and then Portugal, and in the final pool game, lost to Scotland. Strip Italy play in blue jerseys; as of 2007, the strip is manufactured by Kappa and the Italian bank Cariparma & Piacenza is the shirt sponsor. Record Edit Since entering the Six Nations Championship in 2000, Italy have yet to win the tournament. Italy got off to a positive start to the Six Nations in their first year ; defeating Scotland in their first match of competition. Italy finished fifth in the 2003 competition above Wales. The following year Italy managed to finish fifth again, above Scotland in the final standings. In the 2007 Six Nations Italy defeated Scotland at Murrayfield for their first win away from home ( Rome ) in the competition. Two weeks later Italy defeated Wales for the second time in the history of the tournament in Rome: it was the first time the team won two games in the championship, and finished in 4th place.

The winner of the Italy-France game is also awarded the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy . Edit Italy have competed at every Rugby World Cup since the competitions inception in 1987 . Italy finished third in their pool at their first World Cup, defeating Fiji , but not making the finals. They did not make the finals in 1991 , grouped in a tough pool with the likes of England and the All Blacks . At the 1995 World Cup in South Africa , they finished behind England and Western Samoa , but above Argentina in their pool. In 1999 they did not make the finals, with their All Blacks and Tonga . Italy won two pool games at the 2003 World Cup , defeating both Canada and Tonga, but lost to the All Blacks and Wales. Italy played the Rugby World Cup 2007 in Pool C, against New Zealand, Scotland, Romania and again Portugal (beaten 83-0 in the qualifiers) and had a very good chance of making the quarter finals and even the semi finals for the first time. However, Italy were undone by indiscipline in the crucial group match against Scotland in St. Etienne.

Chris Paterson kicked all of Scotland's point in a 18-16 victory, despite Italy crossing the line for the game's only try. Bortulussi missed a match-winning kick in an even contest that Scotland arguably deserved to win in the end. Players

Question: At which ground in Rome do Italy play home games in the Six Nations Rugby Union tournament?
Answer: STADIO FLAMINIO